


Ad Astra Per Aspera

by RumiReneeClarke



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Abuse of Authority, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ancient Rome, Alternate Universe - Historical, Ancient Rome, Angst, Brothers, Captivity, Dubious Consent, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Kylo ren is 30, Loss of Virginity, Master/Slave, Maybe Kylo is soft??, Older Man/Younger Woman, Period-Typical Sexism, Power Imbalance, Praetor, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Rough Sex, Shameless Smut, Smut, Soft Ben Solo, Spartacus AU, Strong Rey, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Violence, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), old english, rey is 21
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:28:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23580856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RumiReneeClarke/pseuds/RumiReneeClarke
Summary: Rey is a young woman captured by the Praetor of Rome, Kylo Ren. He is impressed by the girl's strength and merit. He makes her his body slave to have her close at all times, making her privy to schemes and secrets. She accepts her fate by day and plots her escape at night, yet she hadn't counted on the interference of the goddess venus, pullings the strings of her heart towards his brother Ben.Will she prevail?
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 42
Kudos: 207





	1. Ad Undas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story wouldn't leave my mind to rest. This was going to be a oneshot PWP but then my predisposition towards ancient Rome came to play.

The golden sun warms the skin of Rey. Feet bare in the soft grass, her white dress flows in the wind along small rebellious wisps of hair, broken free from her braid. She hums absently, gathering persimmons from the great gnarled tree. 

A bloodcurdling scream wakes her from her reverie. She turns around to face her village at the foot of the hill only to find it engulfed in smoke and fire. She gasps. 

“ROMANS!” 

She stands in shock as her people, blackened by fumes, drenched in blood try to flee up the hill towards her. 

In a moment her world has turned to chaos; all she hears is the clash of swords, ear-piercing shrieks and prancing horses. 

“RUN!” 

She recognizes their galea, red plumes on imperial helmets. Centurions, the praetor’s men. Years ago, they had struck a deal with the man; freedom and peace in return for the better part of their harvest. Now it seems they have been betrayed by Kylo Ren himself. 

She drops her basket and grabs her wooden stick, this is what she has been practicing for, the inevitable moment of roman treachery. 

Desperate to save as many as possible, she sprints down the hill. 

She’s halted by a friend, Rose. 

“Rey! We cannot win this, all is lost, we need to run!” 

Not all, but they won’t make it far If no one buys them time. 

“Go, and see the sun rise at dawn once again!” 

Without looking back she darts through the crowd, the people who might still have a future if she faces hell for it. Rose watches her go for a moment with tears of sorrow and admiration before turning around and running for her life once more. 

With a guttural outcry, a primal, savage sound, Rey jumps at a group of three roman soldiers, feet first. She’s proud of the men and woman fighting alongside her, saving all that remains. 

She manages to knock the soldiers into deep slumber, yet upon looking for her friends, she finds them being slaughtered, and soon she’ll be the last one standing. 

She must protect the clan, there has to be a way, but she’s no David, and there isn’t only 1 Goliath. 

This morning she had been filling the hydria with water from the river and later stocked them inside the horreum, she’d seen amphorae full of oil in the back. Quick on her feet she runs inside and grabs as much as she can carry, leaving her weapon behind. 

There’s a back door she stomps open and carefully sneaks to the edge of the village. There is only one way out. She pours the oil on the ground first and then throws a few amphorae on the walls. She grabs a burning torch, doused in sulfur and lime. 

Rey takes one last look at the remainder of her fighting men, knowing they would be trapped inside, equal the enemy. They fought well. 

A roman soldier realizes her plan but before he can call out to stop her, she drops the torch, setting the entire way out alight. 

She throws more jugs of oil at the men in anger, and they burst open while catching the fire, burning them alive. 

Her breath is still heavy but the weight on her chest starts losing its magnitude. 

It’s done. Her people would be safe. 

She briskly turns around to flee herself, only to be halted by a prancing horse in front of her, a sword threatening her throat. 

Transverse crests on his helmet with grander plumes and ornaments on his broad chest enlighten her of his position; He’s their leader. 

His glare is piercing, she’s never been so intimidated in all her life. His hair is long but kept, darker and colder than the night sky during winter. The gods must favour him, unlike any other roman. 

Her eyes drop to his plush lips and she thinks they’re… 

Rey drops to the floor, knocked out cold.

\-------------

She jumps up, awakened from an ice-cold splash of water, she’s shackled to the wall in a dark small room, absent clothing. They stripped her while unconscious. 

She hisses at the woman holding another bucket of presumably cold water. 

“NO!” she shouts. But soon the water hits her skin and she shivers, teeth chattering from the cold. 

“Dominus wants you cleansed and shaven.”

So she’s a slave, soon the only people she will be able to call equal. She understands they probably don’t want to do this either but to disobey would result in lashes or death, or worse. 

Rey nods, offering a smile. “I will not resist you.”

The girl smiles back, seemingly relaxing her shoulders. She looks a corpse yet walking. 

“Gratitude.”

“Where am I?”

“The afterlife, at least outside its rusted gates.” A bitter answer.

Rey frowns in confusion and the girl continues.

“The villa of the praetor of Rome.”

Kylo Ren. Now the comment makes sense. 

\-------------

She only nicks Rey’s skin once during the shaving, and when she’s done she gives her both loincloth and strophium before giving her a soft sheer blue tunic from what would be considered cheap wool here.  
Without a word she puts everything on, but there seems to be something missing.

She points at the slavegirl’s neck “And that?”

Staring at the ground she answers. “Dominus likes to give it himself.”

Rey nods and takes a deep breath. That can’t mean anything good. 

Once she’s ready, the girl walks outside, Rey following suit. She notices a brand on her shoulder in the form of an R. 

“I didn’t get your name.” 

“Aurelia.” She pauses. “But they used to call me Kaydel.”

“I’m Rey.” 

They arrive at a door, one of the few in this large villa. She’s never seen the inside of one. Mosaic floors, walls coloured with soft paints and gold accents, they’d even walked past a central impluvium, a small pool in the middle of a large room. She’d heard of it once from a roman visitor, he’d said only men with true power have one, as this is where they receive clients. 

“Better to forget that name, wait here.” 

She knocks on the door and is ordered inside. She can hear she’s being announced. His low voice is almost a growl. 

“Send her in and take leave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ad Astra Per Aspera: to the stars through difficulties
> 
> ad undas: To hell (To the waves)
> 
> A horreum (plural: horrea) was a type of public warehouse used during the ancient Roman period.
> 
> The amphora used in trade is a terracotta vessel characterized by its two carrying handles (from whence the name) and narrow neck. ... By the first century BC, the Romans were distributing wine, as well as other commodities, throughout the Mediterranean in amphorae known as Dressel 1.
> 
> Hydria: A water jug. 
> 
> Women wore both loincloth and strophium (a breast cloth) under their tunics; and some wore tailored underwear for work or leisure
> 
> (Dialogue heavily based on Spartacus)


	2. Ad Meliora

Rey walks inside. The walls are clad with maps, and near the window is a large marble table with scrolls of papyrus and parchment on top. He’s an important man, of that she is certain. 

In the middle of the room sits another table made of wood, it’s covered by yet another map with wooden carved figures. 

“Does it please the senses?” 

A tall brooding man wearing a purple toga creeps near. At first glance it’s the man on the horse, yet his hair is shorter, his demeanor different and he has a scar marring half his imposing face, no wound heals that fast.

This must be the man himself. Kylo Ren. 

“Why am I here?”

He stalks around, gathering 2 cups. 

“You’re considered honoured guest. You have been blessed to find yourself in the house of Ren.”

“As a slave?” 

“You’ve proved yourself more than a common slave.”

She gasps “My people..”

“Are granted another day by the gods. Good fortune came to them… By your hands.”

Her eyes glaze with tears. They made it into the mountains. She’s done all she can. it’s to the gods now.

“Yet your victory? As hollow as your courage. They are yet absent food and water, killing them would be a kindness.”

But Rey knows they will find a way, they always did, Kylo Ren isn’t the first villain threatening their existence, but maybe a deal can be struck.

“My life, then. In exchange for theirs.”

He snickers, face softening. 

“Your life is no longer yours to bargain. If I wish it ceased, I need but whisper.”

“Then tongue the words to ear.” She accepts her fate.

“You mistake me. True, I sought death in repayment of your slights. I see the error of that now. Wishing for an end too quick. No. My desires have turned. If the gods favour me, I shall see the fight run from your eyes.”

She’s contemplating his words, drawing a rueful face. His smile answers her worry. 

“What name do you carry?” He asks calmly. a tinge of the salacious behind it.

“I will send you to hell!” The fight hasn’t died in her just yet.

In an instant he’s in front of her, dousing her in a cold shadow.

“Hold tongue or see it removed from fucking head.”

She swallows in shock. 

“You shall address me as Dominus or I’ll have you sold off to the mines to perish forgotten by love or history.”

She forces her tongue down in silence. 

“A man like me does not fear death. He embraces it. Caresses it. Fucks it.”

No, she thinks, a man like him was belched from the cunt of the underworld.

“You flew beyond fate’s control, yet here I stand, hoping to prove you’re but a girl.”

She glares at him, helpless to her youth screaming at his bewitching beauty. 

“You press fortune, glaring at the praetor of Rome.” His smile softens. 

“Share drink with me.” 

He hands her a cup, filled with what can only be the best of wine. 

“It’s Falernum.” Exactly. 

She’d only had it once, and it carried her to heaven within sips. 

Rey takes it, if it’s poisoned she might as well enjoy her demise. 

He gazes down her body as she bring the cup to her lips. 

“You truly are blessed.” 

Rey smiles politely, avoiding the insinuation. 

“What of you, Dominus? Are you a blessing?” 

He chortles. "To some. To others, a curse."

He walks in circles around her, as If he’s considering a slab of meat. 

“I usually give the girls to my men, yet I would have you far from their reach.”

She’d run to the mines to avoid such fate.

He slowely moves closer behind her, the back of his hand caressing her arm, his face close next to hers. 

“Come.” He whispers. 

He leads her to a room absent doors, the only two walls are painted ruby red, yet they’re smothered in gold faces representing the gods. 

Gauzy off-white curtains waver in the wind, a sheer barrier between rooms. She can see the infinitesimal pool through them, the moon bathing the square in silver. Even at night, the temperature is sweltering.

In the middle of the chamber stands a lectus covered in exotic fabrics and gilded detailing. 

He drinks from his cup, smirking as he stares into her eyes. He gestures to come closer. Flamboyant solid snake bracelets jiggle at the command, the light of fire glittering on his ornate rings. 

She obeys him, and she prays to the gods to keep her safe. 

He swiftly pulls on the strings of her tunic and they give way easily. Silently she’s fighting back tears. Years she’d waited to lay with a man, she’d preserved herself for a man of worth, only for it to be taken away by this beast. 

He studies her body as he lifts the fabrics up and off her shoulders, exposing her undergarments. 

He bites his lip like a young boy when he unwraps her strophium, exposing her breasts. 

Kylo parts his lips in awe, dropping the fabric on the mosaic floor, cool beneath her feet. 

Her nipples turn to crystal peaks, perhaps from the wind, perhaps from his admiring stare, maybe both.

He nearly rips her loincloth down and she gasps, the cold touches her there, absent tuft of hair. 

“Jupiter’s cock, that’s a body made for mischief. The envy of my friends shall spread like locusts, their hearts devoured.”

How dare he. 

“You’re a monster!” she spits, blushing. 

He waits, eyes threatening, promising malicious intent. 

“Dominus.” She adds, realizing she can’t be sent to the mines, at least here she can feel the sun and heat kissing her skin. She’d heard the stories, not a single soul had ever returned. 

He chuckles good-naturedly, yet his eyes reveal venomous intent. “Yes, I am.”

She holds her hands to her side, chin up, yet she can’t control the warming of her face nor the pink glow it brings. 

“The brightness of your cheeks would shame the stars.”

He takes another sip of mind-rousing wine before touching her face. 

Here eyes stare into his again. The fire in them has been deadened, but far from extinguished.

He traces her skin, his fingers gentle. 

“In this world, both man and woman must accept their fate. Or be destroyed by it.”

“I’m not a slave, I was free.” A tear streaks down her cheek. 

“Everyone has a master.”

“Even you?” She dares ask. 

“I answer to the most powerful of them all.”

Is it the truth, or perhaps it’s more honey to sweeten the trap?

"Is this my destiny? Blood and death?"

He takes a deep breath. 

“Obey me with honor and servitude. Call me Dominus. And I will make sure you are well fed and taken care of.”

It’s that or the mines. Rey nods, having no voice for her words. One day the gods may grant her a way to break free, to be reunited with her clan again. Yet for now, she must survive and keep her mind sharp. 

“Good. Now, your name.” He presses. 

“Rey.”

He beams. “Goddess of the sun. Are you as eager to kill? The ashes of my dead men tell me you are.” 

“Some acts cannot be avoided, when stripped of choice. Dominus.” Kill or be killed, she’s always been a survivor. 

He grins. 

“Hmm. What of your desires of a more carnal nature? Are they equally as untamed?”

Her lips part, she stands astounded. The words sound as sweet as the honey in her wine. His voice is raw, and she’s grown to relish it. 

“Dominus?” 

His eyes light up only to have pupils blown. “No. You remain untouched?” 

The way he speaks it sends a flutter down her abdomen. 

“Yes. Dominus.”

He breaths in deeply while combing a hand through his hair. It’s the first time she sees the shine of his teeth. 

“At last the gods would see me rise to the fucking heavens.”

Kylo grabs her hand and leads her to the bed in the middle of the room. 

“Lay down obediently, and I shall see you rise with me.”

As he walks towards her undressed, she can only admire his physique, he stands a giant, his cock well-endowed. It’s a mockery by the gods to make a man this handsome equally cruel. 

\-----

The cushions are soft, she’s never felt a finer fabric on her skin. 

He pours another cup of wine before spreading her thighs. She closes her eyes, fists balled. She’ll stand powerful in her sexuality for this. 

Cup in hand he climbs on the bed between her thighs. He sets the cup to her lips and without question she takes a sip, enough to wet her tongue. 

He kisses her, and it’s hungry, libidinous. His lips are soft and demanding, and she wills herself to act along, as if trying to find warm embrace with a snake. 

“You taste sweet.” He whispers in her ear, licking along the pulsing vein in her neck. 

Rey closes her eyes, resisting the urge to touch him, she's afraid to push him away, or worse, pull him closer.

The rings on his fingers tingle on her skin as he travels down her body, his hand hastily finding the swell of her breast. He kneads and tugs, sending bolts of electricity to her cunt. 

His hands are cunning, his tongue keen. Both working her perfectly as their ministrations coincide. 

He sucks on her collarbone, hard enough to leave a bruise before licking down to where his hands pluck at her pebbled nipples. 

He closes his mouth around one and she becomes a slave in every sense of the word, a slave to instinct and primal desires. The serpent’s tongue feels better than expected, and she can already feel her thighs starting to dampen. 

A fierce nick of his teeth has her moan loudly, a response too long restrained. 

His chuckle reminds her of her place as she feels Kylo’s hands roam downward. 

Rey sharply draws breath as he slips his fingers through her folds, slick with desire. 

Moans flow freely as she’s lost the battle to halt them, grinding her hips against his hand.

He has a smug look on his face as he brings his hand up, showing her the wetness on his fingers. 

“Liquid gold.” He grumbles as he returns the attention to her cunt. 

His light touch only lasts a second, as he’s stroking deeper, teasing her, circling and then pushing a thick finger inside. 

She can feel her walls clench around it as if they’ve been waiting. Rey whimpers as he pumps slowly, swallowing him inside her. 

She feels stretched, full, it's an odd sensation and she'd be a liar if she claimed to hate it. And that’s only one finger. She loathes the man yet part of her wants to feel his cock inside her. 

His breath’s ragged and he mumbles something about the gods again. 

He pulls out abruptly. Eyes still overflowing with lust, he studies her as if he’s bewitched her. 

“Turn around, get on your hands and knees.”

Silently she follows his order, still high on lust. 

She feels exposed, her dripping cunt out on display, even more so when he pushes between her shoulder blades to have her face in the pillows, arching her back. 

If anyone walks past, they’ll see her. She realizes shame will soon be a part of past, perhaps along with her pride. 

It’s utterly humiliating, and for a second she loses resolve by breaching tears, yet she can feel the arousal radiating off his body, and her walls are clenching at the thought. She likes that he wants her, the way she affects a man of such power. 

“Have you found pleasure by your own hand?” 

She swallows away the dryness in her throat. She nods. 

She’d dared explore her own body when it still belonged to her as a free woman.

“Speak, girl.” He growls. 

“Yes, Dominus.” She can tell he approves. 

“Fuck. Show me, like this.” 

Willingly, Rey snakes a hand down her body, wetting her fingers through her folds before circling and pressing just the right way on her clit. If she closes her eyes she might be able to pretend she’s back at the village, in her little room on the soft skins. Soon she’s found a steady rhythm and can’t help her hips from bucking, even though she’s in a compromising position. She pushes a finger inside, gently rubbing as her thumb flicks her clit over and over. Her body betrays her. 

She can feel Kylo staring into her sex with a lewd grin on his face.

Rey hears sounds mimicking the battering of flesh, and she realizes he’s finding pleasure by his own hand as well. 

Footsteps resound through the hall, the wind picking up, blowing the curtains inside. 

A nearly identical version of the man behind her appears from behind the fabric. It’s the man on the horse.

She stops moving, embarrassed. 

“Ah brother! Join us.”

He steps inside and studies the girl, not fazed by the obnoxious position she’s in. Nothing surprises these men. He notices the tears in her eyes as she pleads, maybe he’ll show kindness. 

“You’re having the girl?” He’s grinding his jaw, just barely. His voice is orotund yet silvery before he sips a cup of wine, worry etching his face.

The praetor chuckles. “Of course.” He starts kneading her ass. 

“Completely untouched, how does one resist this.” He slaps it, his rings insuring to leave a bruise. Rey cries out. 

His brother is silent for a moment, perhaps it’s jealousy she finds in his eyes. Or anger. 

“I thought you were a proper roman man.” He nearly growls. 

“Proper is a word. Forged by men who would enslave us with it.” He laughs. “Come! You can have her ass.”

Fear shoots up her spine and her breath gets heavy. Tears grow plentiful and flow freely in silence. 

Unease paints subtle lines on his face as he stares right back into her eyes. 

“More pressing matters require my attention.” 

It'd be toneless to most, but not to her. 

“Alas, perhaps another time then.” Kylo waves him off. 

He looks her in the eyes once more, clearly chewing on unspoken words, and takes his leave after she finds a little twitch under his eye. 

Kylo slaps her ass again, bringing her back to reality. “Hmm fuck! You are a sight to behold.” 

The sensation sends a little firebolt to her core, despite the mess underneath her eyes. 

He removes her hand and bites her ass cheek. It's riveting. He leans over her back, tracing a nail over her spine. She feels him stroking the head of his cock through her folds, still wet and weeping. It's warm and softer than she anticipated. He rubs over her clit and faintly groans as she bucks back into him, desperate to chase the myriad of these uncharted feelings. 

"See truth be known, you want this do you not? Speak freely." An acceleration between her thighs propels the adrenaline through her veins. So much is happening at once, her emotions are played like a fiddle, from fear to embarrassment to utter lust. She's lost. 

"Yes Dominus." She moans, honestly. 

Her hips buck and her knees weaken, threatening to collapse. He's still teasing with slow but deliberate movements. 

“Perhaps the goddess of the sun requires advantage to still her trembling knees.” A whisper in her ear. 

He flips on his back and drags her on top of him. It's a kind gesture she didn't expect from a man so brute, and she feels powerful, taking the ounce of dominance over him. 

In the effort, his cock catches on her entrance and pushes a little inside. 

“Oh.” She whimpers, about to take the cock of a giant. The pain isn't that bad, her body stands solid as a rock yet smooth as the stem of a young palm, hardened by years of survival and training. 

“Impale yourself on me, and take your master inside. You did as commanded, and I shall see you rewarded for it.” 

His fingers trace up and circle her hypersensitive nub, spiking her lust and passion. 

”Let us rise ‘till we stand next to the fucking gods themselves.” He grunts, rubbing her with vigor yet in a tender manner. 

Rey bites her lips as she sinks down a little bit more, wincing slightly from the uncomfortable burning stretch. She shuts her eyes, focusing on the feeling of being overly full already. 

He sighs deeply, revelling in the sense of tightness, drinking her in. 

Her hips move on their own volition as he thumbs at her clit, watching her face to get her reaction. 

She feels her slick mixed with blood trickle down his cock as she pushes down further, gently rocking on his strong build. 

She holds the solid muscles on his chest for leverage as she sways at a slow pace. 

Kylo thrusts his hips up, pushing inside the final centimers, filling her to the hilt. It bites, but somehow she realises the pain will be brief.

Rey pops open her eyes again as she feels the pain make way for pleasure, learning what she had missed all these years. He smiles, noticing her revelation. 

He lets her adjust, panting with his mouth open, depravedly. 

Testing the waters, she gradually lifts her hips up, feeling the pain ebb away. 

She sinks back down with a moan so feral, Kylo’s eyes turn black. She sets a stronger pace and he starts fucking into her, gripping her hips harshly to retain dominance, rendering her elusive. 

He rubs her clit harder, pressing and stroking, bringing her with him to chase ecstasy. 

Soon they find a rhythm just as strongly as they hate each other, and she hisses when he takes her nipple between his teeth again. 

Lewd wet slaps fill her ears and cleanse her mind from virginal thoughts. She enjoys the taking. Loves the way his cock brushes and scrapes her insides. Rey wails every time he hits too deep, hitting something inside her. 

For a good moment, she mistakes the past for a fever dream, a reverie she would soon wake up from. Yet a command of her Dominus breaks her stupor. 

“Come for me.” His voice breaks. His skin is dripping sweat from exertion. 

His thrusts are vigorous, hips bucking up, impaling her over and over until she’s sobbing from a lingering pain and the impending release. 

Kylo pinches her nub before rubbing it expertly, having her cry-out his title and bringing her to the heavens. 

“Dominus!” 

He works her through it, fucking faster and harder until he explodes with a loud grunt, anointing her insides. 

She can feel warm spurts of come leak outside of her and she cringes as he pulls out, wetting her thighs along with it. 

As their pants turn into slower breaths again, he brushes a few wisps of her hair behind her shoulder, kissing it. 

“Be good to me, and I’ll never let another man touch you.” 

She nods, it’s a desired outcome for now, until she finds opportunity and seizes it to run far away from here.

“Yes Dominus.” Her words calm and polite. 

He kisses her softly on the lips. 

“I’ll make you my body slave, no need for a collar. This way I’ll have you by my side all the time, able to tend to my every need.” 

She swallows away the bitter taste of his words. She needs to stay focused and it means taking whatever he has to give for now. 

"I pray I'll find you in my dreams again tonight." 

He calls for Aurelia once Rey is dressed, and she is ordered to be cleansed again. 

After, she sees her to her chamber, a small room with no furniture besides a bed and candles to worship. It’s more than enough, for now. 

At night she lies awake, forcing her wandering mind to think of anything else but her people, and so she finds herself thinking of the man on the horse, the praetor’s brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ad Meliora: to better things
> 
> Falernum is usually cited as the best Roman wine. It was a white wine that was aged 10-20 years until it was amber-colored.  
> A lectus is what we today consider a chaise-longue, Romans would often lay down while eating as a token of wealth, so in a lot of rooms you could find these ‘couches’ that could be used as a bed. 
> 
> Find me on twitter: RRClarke1 
> 
> Next chapter is going to be sweet, can you imagine?!


	3. Ad Usum Proprium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upped the chapter count and decided on shorter ones, this way I can keep up. Hope you don't mind.

The sun had revived what the night had withered. Rey had pleaded herself to the house of Ren as requested by Kylo. 

On her knees she’d recited the words. “I commit my flesh. My mind. My will.” 

All lies. 

Over the next several weeks, Rey is eased into the strict regimen of being a body slave. She is to follow Kylo everywhere he goes and act upon every command. Dressing and undressing hm, bathing him, even fetching his wine. 

He’s lenient, she can tell, and it’s unnervingly out of character for the man who threatened to send her to the mines for not calling him Dominus. He even grants her a smile now and then, softly touching her hand when accepting his cup of wine. 

Rey is trying to be agile and astute, as she knows the only way to avoid pain and suffering is through accepting her current position, sharpening thoughts and knife during the nights, plotting her way out. 

As his Servus Corporis she’s privy to hearing news and strategies from Kylo’s meetings with the magistrate as she is to tend to their libations and nourishment. 

A rebel called Spartacus has raised an army of slaves and she’s heard they’d won a battle near the mountains beyond the village she used to call home. A message from the gods that made her heart blossom in newfound strength. 

The rebellion gives Kylo so much stress he hasn’t taken her since, working until birds sing their first song, followed by intense training with a gladiator called Hermes, a slave skilled in all fighting styles. 

Occasionally he duels with his brother. His visits to the villa have been a rare occurrence much to Kylo’s discontent, and Rey wondered if it had anything to with her. His lingering stares, the tightening of his jaw and the peculiar twitch underneath his eye when she dares to offer him a smile are driving her to the brink of insanity at night, when she’s all alone, free to touch herself. His presence becomes nutrimental to her soul. 

She gets to watch him beat his brother again and again with a poorly hid smirk on his face, a sly smile even when Kylo gets angry. “What has gotten into you?” He’d ask, and Rey is certain she was at least part of the cause. 

Yet everytime at night he’d leave the villa, never accepting his brother’s offer on wine or a whore, much to her content. Even though they looked so alike, born out of the same womb, they were very different. 

Today is the hottest day she’s endured since she’s been here. It’s only morning yet the sun renders the villa airless, humid. 

She’s ordered to undress herself and her Dominus to wash within his large marble bath, it’s large enough to hold 8 people, and she figures that at some point, it probably has, as she learned that Kylo is a man of exotic tastes. 

Yet now the man stands a phantom. The purple tinted skin under his eyes betrays the lack of slumber, and he seems agitated, restless. 

They settle in the water and she lightly starts washing his back. His skin is smooth and taut, riddled in moles, mirroring his brother. To her pleasure, they often fought bare-chested. 

It’s easy to pretend it’s not Kylo when she tending to the strain in his back, yet the delusion is only brief as she has to wash his front as well. 

She notices him staring into the wall, eyes glazed, tired. His mind ever with the rebel leader Spartacus. 

A tense silence hangs between them.

“What troubles mind, Dominus? Do the gods not answer your prayers?”

He shrugs at the question. 

“How quickly Fortuna shifts her blessings… I’d stand a bit away. Jupiter could hurl a bolt any moment. They’ve turned their backs and favour a slave now.”

She smiles faintly, the man doesn’t realize the treasures he holds. 

“Patience, Dominus. He bleeds when pierced, as does any man.”

Her words calm and polite, he nods in agreement. 

“The man proves himself a god, first in the arena, now against a well-trained army.”

“Yes. Dominus. A true gladiator is taught to embrace pain and suffering. To fight until life flees from his body, yet he remains mortal, and shall find his demise soon.” She doesn’t mean the last part, she hopes he frees every slave, including her, until the romans are but a faint memory. 

“Your kindness is well appreciated, as is your obedience.” He takes her hand and leads it underneath the water. “I would have more of it.”

She hesitates, but knows to refuse the request would be unwise.

She feels his cock, still soft, and he gasps as she wraps her hand around it, cringing a little at the unexpected lack of firmness. 

Rey starts pumping, using her other hand to twist it gently as he closes his eyes. Even while in the water, the temperature is scalding, the water is supposed to be refreshing yet it is as hot as the air above it. 

His cock remains soft. After a few minutes he gets frustrated and opens his eyes, sighing as he swats her hands away. He’s embarrassed. She knows it can happen when men experience stress. 

She doesn't know what to do now, a man's ego is a fickle thing. 

“Dominus..” 

“Leave, I could use a cup of wine to wet the tongue.” She’s glad for the request. 

After drying herself, Rey puts on her dress, a former gift, and starts her walk towards the cellars. 

The warmth has her head spinning soon, she hasn’t had the chance to eat this morning as Kylo woke before her, ordering her around at the light of dawn. 

She walks up the stairs of the cellar step by step, holding onto the wine, her skin flushed. The air underground is even worse. She focusses on her breathing when she reaches the top, yet she has to hurry as Kylo doesn’t like to wait. 

When she turns around the corner in the hallway, she jolts up as a man is suddenly in front of her. 

The noise of the amphora breaking and spilling on the floor reverberates. 

It’s him, the tall brooding brother with a glint in his eyes. 

She hurriedly takes a slight bow. “Apologies.” She breathes, gasping for air. Her vision is swimming.

“Are you alright?” She hears his low voice somewhere in the back of her mind. She shakes her head, eyes blinking fast. 

And for the second time, everything goes black while in front of him, only this time she is captured before hitting the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ad usum proprium: for one's own use
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts, I'd love to hear them!! 
> 
> Come say hi on twitter: RRClarke1


	4. Audi Alteram Partem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben.

Rey hears the sound of wet fabric crumpling and droplets falling into water. 

A soft cloth, cool and damp is tenderly patted on her face as a gentle breeze pulls her out of slumber. She’s laying on a bed, thicker than hers, comfortable. 

She flutters her eyes open to find Kylo sitting by her, dipping the cloth back into the water. Her vision is still hazy, her head heavy as she tries to sit up. 

“Easy now. Drink.”

A cup of water is brought to her lips, and she drinks. It’s rejuvenating. 

Rey takes a deep breath and feels her mind growing clear. 

The cloth is brought back and she tries to find his eyes to show appreciation.

“Gratitude, Do-“ She halts, realizing it’s not Kylo tending to her. 

His face is softer, absent scar, and the way the sun reflects in his eyes, liquid amber, makes them look ethereal. 

“You mistake me.” His voicer runs deep, patting along her face. 

“Apologies.” Her face flushes in embarrassment. 

“All you do is apologize. Speak freely to me.” His lips turned upward. 

Their eyes lock as they did so many times before, as they did in her dreams, yet for some reason they all did this moment injustice. The silence feels loud, fraught with fervor. It’s eerie, the way they speak without sound. 

“I’m Ben.”

“Rey.” 

“I know.” 

“Ben.” She tries the name on her tongue. 

He nods. “Yes. Don’t let them hear you.” Looking outside the room. 

“How do you feel?” 

“Better, by your kind hands.” 

“I did as any man would do.” 

Rey looks away, trying to hide the sneer in her voice. “A matter we disagree on.”

A breeze pushes his hair in his face, and she feels the urge to adjust it back in perfection, yet holds back. 

“He isn’t himself, resulting in absent care of his own house.” 

She sighs. “The Praetor is seized by unnecessary worry. Spartacus will fall.”

He looks at her, puzzled. “His army grows greater, day by day as our numbers dwindle.”

She thinks of her village then, crumpling under fire and smoke. 

“Is that why my people had to perish? To seize their opportunity to join them?”

He tightens his jaw, avoiding her eyes. 

“Or just a different form of Roman kindness?” The venom seeps from her mouth. 

Ben combs a hand through his hair, uneasy. “I follow orders, Rey, as does as any serving roman with honor.” 

And she can’t argue with it. She knows she would do the same if her superior had willed it, back when they scoured and scavenged, to survive. 

“I’m only here because I trusted in the honor of a roman.” The words leave her tongue before her mind can seize them. They should’ve never struck a deal. 

Tears lay at the corner of her eyes, and she gasps when he puts his hand over hers. 

“A thing I cannot regret.” 

Her brows frown in disbelief. 

“You don’t regret bringing me here and diminishing me to nothing?” She wants to pull away but he his grasp becomes tighter. 

“Perhaps they think you’re nothing, but you’re not, not to me.” 

The words sound sincere, and a brisk warmth swirls around her spine. To be seen in such a place, by a man once on the other side of the battle field not too long ago raises her spirit. 

Words won’t come to her, so she turns her palm to return the gesture, interlacing their fingers. 

Ben’s features soften, and his plush lips part. 

The moment is broken by approaching footsteps, and he quickly retreats to stand by the wall. 

“Ah there you are.” Kylo walks in, seeming relieved. 

“I did not know you had brought her to your chambers.” 

Rey looks around, not realizing where he had taken her. 

“She was in need of water and fresh air. She still needs to eat.” It’s protective. 

“Gratitude for taking care of her, I will see to it back in –“ 

“I’d have her rest in here, in favourable conditions, as I will take leave within the hour.” Ben interrupts. 

Rey searches for his eyes to ask him to stay, yet he carries his gaze elsewhere. 

Kylo seems dismayed, watching between the two of them. 

“No need. She can rest in mine, where the conditions are loftier. I’d only have the best for her in order to strengthen.” 

And she knows he can’t argue. It’s a bitter reminder he holds no true power. 

He calls in other slaves to help her move to his chambers. 

“Come brother, I would have words before you leave.”

And as Ben moves through the doorway, he sneaks a final glance at a saddened Rey before disappearing.

\------------------

Ben found himself unable to stay away from the girl, and as she fell to the ground yet again in front of him, he decided to catch her, harbouring the safety of her fragile yet strong body. His brother had been incapable to care for her, as expected, and his heart has been yearning for something that can never be. She is his. 

It has been a while since they sat together like this, and he needs to choose his words carefully around Kylo, as it has always been. 

“How fares the new pet, it seems you forgot to feed her?” It doesn’t slide easy of his tongue, yet he needs to keep up the appearance of disinterest. 

Kylo lingers a moment, before grinning. 

“She’s feral, even in the bedroom, nudging toward my desires.”

Ben regrets asking. At night his thoughts are riddled with images of her in vulgar position when he had walked in on them. The only alleviation found by his own hand. She didn’t seem feral then. 

His fists are balled under the table, knowing she has to lay with him whenever he sees fit. 

“Does she not meet elevated expectation?” He wonders whether his brother might have lost his sight along his mind.

“Alas, there’s yet more stroking needed in order to see her gain avidity towards my cock.” He sighs lewdly. “I’d be buried inside her day and night if I would not be seized from the opportunity by pre-occupation.” 

Ben’s nails dig into his skin as he steers the conversation into a different direction. He can’t stand hearing more of it. 

“Best not to lose mind over reverie as Spartacus’ rebellion grows stonger as we speak.” 

“Wisdom well received.” Kylo nods. 

They talk plots and deception before Ben takes his leave. He returns to a smaller villa in the outskirts, where he lives in solitude, absent slaves.

\------------------

After receiving proper nutrition, Rey felt better instantly. She had helped the others clean as not to feel so useless before bathing and returning to Kylo’s chambers. 

She’s on her knees in front of a small altar, lighting candles to worship, begging the gods to grant her more time with Ben. Her thighs slicken at the very thought. 

“Why are you not in bed?” Rey jolts up, she was so lost in thought she didn’t hear Kylo come in. 

She walks towards him and bowes. “Dominus.” 

He softly gazes the skin on her shoulder “Your return lifts the heart.” She keeps her eyes fixed on the floor. Her mind occupied with another. “As does your recovery.” 

She offers him a polite smile, lacking warmth. 

He lifts up her chin, noticing. “Did my brother not treat you right? Speak and harsh word will find the man’s ear.”

Rey shakes her head. “No Dominus, he was very kind.” 

Kylo nods, furrowing his brow as he sees his bed made. 

“Did I not order you to rest? I’m told you aided in the accomplishment of a task given to another.” 

“Apologies Dominus, I regained fortitude and would not be branded as inactive.” 

He curls a finger in her hair. “I see. Ever restless, as am I.” 

A hand finds a way to her waist, pulling her closer. 

“Perhaps we can wear out mind and body in warm embrace.” 

He shows her a vial with a dark liquid inside. 

“Mandragora, thorn apple, belladonna and blood of a gladiator. A substantial list, requiring substantial coin, yet well worth it, if it means finding comfort again between your thighs.” 

He adds a drop to his wine and eagerly drinks it. His ardent smile makes him look younger, boyish. 

The strings on her dress give way as he pulls them, revealing tan flesh as fabric falls to the floor. 

At night, she doesn’t wear undergarments, as ordered. 

His dark eyes prowl over the curves of her body, starting at her eyes, lingering at her breasts to land between her legs. 

“You rival the goddess Venus herself.” It’s a lofty compliment, yet they break from the wrong mouth.

He manoeuvres her to the bed, splaying her out any way he likes.

her legs are slightly parted, as are her lips, when she feels him climb on top of her, resting on his forearms. 

She can feel his cock growing harder, nudging against the inside of her thigh as he palms her breast, biting his lip. 

He kisses her and she can feel the smile still plastered on his face. He seems genuinely content. 

The potion had worked as expected. 

Gathering spirit she kisses him back, just barely, closing her eyes. 

His fingers slip between her folds only to find them still slickened. He sighs in relief. 

“You stand equally excited. It pleases the heart.” And he kisses her more passionately, licking her lips at the seam to push her mouth open. 

She longs for the passion as well, only in the arms of another man. The one she had been envisioning earlier, the reason she is wet right now. 

He lines himself up at her entrance, rubbing along the dampness, thumb stroking at her clit, having her gasp and moan within seconds. 

He reads her face and eyes, and she finds herself closing them, pretending these hands aren’t his. 

“Your chants are music to my ears.” He groans. 

He pushes inside her with words of endearment, encouraging her to be as loud as she wants to be, for he allows it. 

She feigns it isn’t his cock sliding along her walls so pleasantly, but Ben’s. She hopes one day soon it will be his hips grinding her into the softness of his bed, tilting her legs to push deeper. She wants to slide her hands over taut muscle, sink her nails into his back as he makes her climax just by nipping the tender skin on her neck. 

The fantasy has her gushing, much to Kylo’s delight, whom is still of mind that she reacts to him. He goes faster, harder, and the lewd slapping of skin fills the room, having her fist the sheets. 

He sucks and licks her breasts, leaving marks all over. 

The reverie is broken as his thrusts start to falter. 

Her chin is pinched between his fingers. “Look upon me when I find culmination.” 

Their faces are so alike, yet Kylo’s is rougher, lines deeper, edged by years of worry. 

He winces and his scar crooks along his brows furrowing. His voice is higher when he spills inside her. Warm liquid coating stretched walls. She hopes it will never catch. 

She traces his scar then, holding back the urge to ask about it, and he leans into her palm. 

In all her time here, she learned how he must have been deprived of loving touch for he seeks it with her whenever he has the chance. 

He grabs her close, holding her back to his chest in silence. 

For the first time in weeks, Kylo falls asleep at reasonable hour, arms clutched around her body, and Rey listens to his breathing, wondering whether his brother is doing the same. 

Yet in the outskirts of the city, Ben lays upon a thin mattress, unable to sleep. Clutching at his sheets, trying to best the cold, alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> audi alteram partem: hear the other side. It is the principle that no person should be judged without a fair hearing in which each party is given the opportunity to respond to the evidence against them.
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts on anything, the amount of dialogue, the smut, Kylo's erectile dysfunction LOL...
> 
> Find me on twitter: RRClarke1


	5. Adsum

Days pass without a sight of Ben. Rey has overheard Kylo ask his messengers for word yet none were received.

His words grew more impatient every time. “I request words with the commander, yet you return absent the man!” The men would stand flushed, unable to speak up for themselves.

“I have pressed for audience all week. My brother forgets who his praetor is.” It was yesterday that Rey learned that Kylo truly feels himself above Ben, it hadn’t occurred to her that their sharing of the same womb hadn’t meant they stand equal.

She wonders if she needs to be worried, for she is just that, and it seems so is her master.

\-- 

It was unusual for Ben not to send word, and he is supposed to leave for battle soon.

If the gods will it, he might be spared from the war. It’s a selfish thought she pushes to the back of her mind. Rey knows a man cannot turn from truest nature.

Ben Solo was baked into brick, trained from a young age to partake in battle, to annihilate any enemy of Rome. He even uses a different last name, as to not be treated differently by his peers.

The passing of years hardens a man to the simple joys of life, until all that is left is a thing of stone, cold and unforgiving. A life stained with blood and battle. Kylo is a prime example of it, well on his way to becoming a man void of sentiment, perpetually seeking validation of those above him.

But Ben, he carries a bigger heart. The warmth still radiates off of him, one of kindest nature. It’s the compassion in his eyes, as if somehow he is awake while his brother isn’t, seeing the world for what it is, for what it is meant to become.

\-- 

She’s washing her master’s clothes as she hears the sound of a horse outside the gate, guards requesting who approaches. It’s a moment she’s been waiting for, longing for. Ben.

She nearly rips the fabric from the force she uses while scrubbing, working faster so she can finish this and hurry towards her master, and Ben. Kylo is in his study, and if she moves with haste, they might have a moment alone.

Three more pieces and she’s done. She hears the gates open, sees him walking through with a confident step. His hair looks wild, his armour expertly polished, his face beautiful, clean shaven.

He doesn’t see how she’s cleaning as if she’s a woman absent mind. Relief floods through her at the sight of his wellbeing, adrenaline pushing her to go faster as he walks inside and out of her line of vision.

The last tunic is still sopping wet as she hangs it up to dry. Her bare feet patter on the marble as she darts inside, as fast as she can go without alarming anyone.

“Ah. there you are.” Kylo must’ve been alerted for audience.

Ben is really here, standing before her master, back turned towards her. Kylo gestures her to come and she eagerly tiptoes closer.

She is to keep her head down, but she feels his eyes on her, and it fills her with warmth, instantly lifting a weight of her shoulders now that she knows that he is alright.

“Fetch wine and bring it to the atrium.” His words are cold yet she knows they aren’t to strike at her.

“yes Dominus.” While turning she sneaks a glance at his face, finding him staring audaciously.

She smiles the entire way.

\--

When Rey returns and walks into the room, it’s silent as both men turn heads towards her. She quickly walks to the table behind the sloping couches.

She hears Kylo clear his throat.

“We have not received word from you. I feared you had gone astray.” His tongue slides the words bitterly in his mouth.

Ben carries a measured smile. “I could never abandon such a good brother, could I?” It’s a mocking tone to Rey, but she can see Kylo believing it.

“Speak, where were you?” He signals to Rey to pour in some wine for him and his guest.

“I went to see Snoke.” Kylo’s face grows pale, he clutches the cup from Rey’s hands and takes a large sip instantly. His golden armbands jingle as he nervously puts his hand down on the armrest beside him, trying to conceal his reaction.

“Did you get the chance to speak to him about the war?” His knuckles are white, his eyes don’t know where to look as he awaits the answer.

Rey pours wine in another cup, she smiles lightly while offering it to Ben. Their hands touch when he gently takes it from her, his gaze lingering a second before he answers to her master.

“At length. He comes to visit a day hence, to discuss the matter with you personally.” Ben’s lips are turned upwards, but he doesn’t seem to be enjoying it.

“What?! That murderous Snake is coming? Here? Tomorrow?” Distress. Rey has never seen Kylo this lost before.

“Apologies, I thought the words would be positively received.”

Kylo combs a hand through his hair, trying to find composure.

“No need. I have been consumed by the tumult of recent events.”

“Spartacus?” Ben’s face is unreadable, the man knows when to fade his features into stone.

“Another victory near the outer-rim, his wrath is looming closer.”

Rey’s heart flutters at the news. It means he’s closer to her.

“Perhaps Snoke can be persuaded for reinforcements.”

Kylo shrugs, looking at his brother as if he’s told a childish joke.

“And show weakness? Appearing vulnerable to the man is like walking in a rain of piss and opening mouth for a taste. You should know better by now.”

Good. If Kylo is too proud to ask for help, the rebellion will surely find its victory.

“Instead, we shall talk about my ambitions. I will gaze into the man's eyes and see the power of my reflection in them.”

“You failed to mention you had mind towards higher office.”

“I admit to none, brother. Until the magistrate broached the subject.”

“What promises have you made to Snoke and his faded bitch? The flesh monger looks to me with rheumy eyes, brimming with expectation.”

“I promise nothing, save word of your… cunning abilities.”

Rey assumes they’re talking about Ben’s skills on the field as another slave walks into the room.

“Dominus,” she clears her throat “It is done.” Rey doesn’t know what task she’s talking about, she only knows the other slaves have been busy all day.

“Finally.” She flushes with shame. The praetor sighs and gives her a scowl, a clear reminder that only Rey gets the special treatment, one she’s grown to equally dislike as she knows Ben does.

“My dealings with the Magistrate take precedence tomorrow, have the villa prepared by dawn. Rey will see to it.”

The girl looks at Rey with a questionable gaze, and she can’t be faulted for it, as anyone would share equal feelings of envy in her place.

“Your will, Dominus.”

As per tradition she takes a final glance at Ben and leaves along with the other girl. One thing she can always count on is to find his eyes staring right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adsum: I am here


End file.
